A wide variety of implantable medical devices (IMDs) that employ electronic circuitry for providing electrical stimulation of body tissue and/or monitoring a physiologic condition are known in the art. IMDs may include implantable pulse generators (IPG), cardiac pacemakers, pacemaker-cardioverter-defibrillators, nerve, muscle and neurological stimulators, cardiomyostimulators, implantable drug dispensers, implantable cardiac signal monitors and recorders, and the like. IMDs typically include a housing that encloses a variety of internal components and isolates them from the implanted environment. IMDs may include integrated circuits, charging capacitors, batteries, and other components that are enclosed in hermetically sealed metallic housings. Within the human body, for example, the housing must be sealed to prevent ingress of fluids that can cause the device to short circuit or corrode internal components, which renders the IMD inoperable.
The IMDs typically comprise a hermetically sealed housing containing the battery and electronic circuitry. Many IMDs are capable of two-way communication or telemetry between the IMD and an external device, (e.g., a programmer). For example, in a pacemaker system, a programmer downloads data to an implanted pacemaker such as operating instructions and software. Likewise, data may flow in the opposite direction; that is, from the implanted pacemaker to the programmer for analysis. In fact, modern pacemakers are capable of storing significant amounts of data about the patient (e.g., average heart rate) and the pacemaker itself (e.g., battery status), which may need to be frequently transmitted to the programmer for evaluation by the physician.
One way of communicating with an IMD is through RF telemetry transmission, which relies upon magnetic field coupling through the patient's skin of an IMD antenna with a closely spaced programmer antenna. The RF telemetry antenna is positioned outside the hermetically sealed IMD housing, which allows it to operate in a high frequency RF telemetry bandwidth and reduces space requirements inside the housing. The RF telemetry antenna is connected to an antenna feedthrough.
A RF telemetry module is connected to the antenna feedthrough and the RF telemetry antenna within the hermetically sealed IMD housing. The RF telemetry module is also connected to an IMD circuit board. Since there is limited space inside the hermetically sealed IMD housing, the RF telemetry module may not be positioned in the same plane as the IMD circuit board. Because of this orientation, the connection between the RF telemetry module and IMD circuit board may not be automated, thereby adding cost and time to the manufacturing of the IMD with RF capability.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a connection between a RF module and an IMD circuit board inside an IMD housing that accommodates automated assembly of the two components. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.